San Diego State has been ranked among 100 public colleges and universities for being the most “bang for students’ bucks.”

SDSU was nationally ranked 73rd for out-of-state and 77th for in-state public institutions on a list released by Kiplinger magazine, a prominent personal finance publication. Rankings were determined based on the average four-year graduation rate, academic excellence, financial aid availability for students, admittance rate, total cost (for both residents and out-of-state students) and average student debt upon graduation.

SDSU was one of only three California State Universities on the list, outranking both CSU Long Beach and Poly Pomona. Other California institutions on the list included University of California, San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Davis and UC Riverside.

SDSU was named in the top 10 for lowest debt at graduation. In its summary of the institution, Kiplinger stated that SDSU was “among the most selective schools on its list of 100 public colleges, with only five schools more discerning.”

Kiplinger cited Proposition 30 as providing a much-needed break for California public colleges, which have seen a 72 percent tuition and fee increase since the 2007-08 academic year. The new proposition will save nearly $6 billion in budget cuts for education, including public colleges and universities.

The Kiplinger list is available in the February 2013 issue and is available online at kiplinger.com.